IP Strategy

Introduction

The blockchain technology gained global notoriety when, at the end of 2017, the value of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin reached the value of $ 20,000. It is usually accepted that this technology arose in 2008 and was created by Satoshi Nakamoto, the fictitious name of a person or a group of people, being implemented in 2009 as a nuclear component of Bitcoin.

Inventa International participated in the 1st discussion dedicated to Intellectual Property Protection in East Timor, on December 1st. The conference was organized by the International Trademark Association (INTA) and its various panels focused on the importance and best practices of trademark protection and anti-counterfeiting awareness.

Local entrepreneurs, police officers, customs’ and inspection members, representatives of the Government and investment organizations attended this discussion.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), proclaimed in 1948, marks an irruption of the individual and his rights in the international sphere, shielded by the State’s sovereignty so far.

Aspiring to enshrine “universal” rights, the UDHR assigns to education a value of utmost importance. Indeed, the UDHR, in its preamble and article 26, identifies education as a means for achieving the common ideal of respect, application and promotion of the rights and freedoms recognized therein. Article 26 also enshrines the right to education as a fundamental human right.

The South African National Treasury announced, on 22 February 2017, the intention to eliminate the current regimen’s restriction to the Intellectual Property assets’ transaction, by liberalizing the transactions in this area. These are good news for entrepreneurs and investors.

The Hague Convention that abolishes the requirement of legalization for foreign public documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, has entered into force past August 14st, 2016.

Before, foreign documents had to be authenticated at a Notary Public and legalized up to Brazilian Consulate, but now the process is simpler and less bureaucratic. Documents that had to be filed at the National IP Institute, notarized or legalized, should now be apostilled.

ARM Holdings, a Cambridge-based internet technology company that designs chips and holds the title as the UK’s only global-scale tech company and is also listed in the FTSE 100 has accepted a takeover offer by the Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank for $31.4 billion.

Founded in 2010 by the entrepreneur Lei Jun, Xiaomi is one of China’s largest mobile brands, just recently announced a licensing deal of around 1,500 patents from the software-giant Microsoft. Pundits suggest this move is an effort to expand from China into western markets.

The Kuwaiti Council of Ministers approved Law No. 11/2016 declaring accession to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The newly approved law was published in the Kuwaiti Official Gazette on the 27th of March, 2016. Adhering to the PCT enables Kuwait to register international patents through its national office, and as a consequence, improves legal protection for national and regional inventions as well as facilitate administrative procedures for obtaining protection.

On an open letter addressed to the forthcoming 45th President of the United States of America, the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and current Co-Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, Carlos Gutierrez, has stressed the importance that the new head of the executive branch should give to Intellectual Property Rights.

Following several months of political and social unrest, the Republic of Burundi appears to be returning to normality and regaining its commercial and financial interests. A gesture that demonstrates Burundi’s firm commitment is the nation’s recent adherence to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and to the WIPO Copyright Treaty.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation informed that Burundi had deposited the instruments of accession with the organisation on the 12th of January of 2016.